The governing board of the Los Angeles Unified School District is set to convene a closed-door meeting Thursday to discuss its superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, following FBI searches at his home and the district’s headquarters on Wednesday.
The Board of Education’s calendar confirms a special afternoon session concerning Carvalho, though no further specifics have been released.
The district stated on Wednesday that it “is cooperating with the investigation and we do not have further information at this time.” Federal authorities have yet to disclose the nature of the inquiry involving the United States’ second-largest school district. A third location near Miami, where Carvalho previously led public schools, was also searched by the FBI.
The Miami Herald reported that this Florida property belonged to Debra Kerr, who had worked with AllHere, an education technology firm that secured a contract with Los Angeles schools before its collapse and the indictment of its leader for fraud.
In 2024, Carvalho heavily promoted a $3 million (£2.4m) deal with AllHere for an AI chatbot named “Ed,” hailing it as “a game changer” designed to assist students.
However, approximately three months after the technology’s unveiling and the payment, the district terminated its dealings with AllHere, which subsequently declared bankruptcy. Months later, founder Joanna Smith-Griffin faced charges of securities and wire fraud, alongside identity theft.
Carvalho denied any personal involvement in the selection of AllHere, according to the Los Angeles Times. Following Smith-Griffin’s indictment, he announced plans to establish a task force to investigate the failures of the LAUSD project, but no public updates have emerged since.
Over the past five years in Los Angeles, Carvalho has been praised for improvements in the district’s academic performance. He garnered similar acclaim while overseeing Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Florida’s largest school district, where he was named Superintendent of the Year in 2014 by the National Superintendents Association.
The Portugal-born administrator was knighted by Spain in 2021 for his efforts in expanding Spanish-language programs for Miami-Dade County schools. Months later, Carvalho accepted the California role and became a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown, particularly after raids in Los Angeles last year.
He arrived in Los Angeles at a crucial juncture, with the district awash in state and federal COVID-19 relief funds but still grappling with pandemic impacts, including learning losses and declining enrollment. He had previously clashed with Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over his directive prohibiting schools from mandating masks during the pandemic.
The Miami-Dade school system confirmed its awareness of the investigation involving Carvalho but declined to comment further at this time. The FBI’s Miami office verified that agents searched a residence in Southwest Ranches, Broward County, west of Fort Lauderdale, on Wednesday morning.
